Hacking Targets across Academia and Research Instutions Growing since 2022
Two esteemed British universities, the University of Cambridge and the University of Manchester, have reported being targeted by a sophisticated cyber attack. The attackers aimed to disrupt their IT infrastructure, causing significant disruption to their core services.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
The hacking collective, Anonymous Sudan, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Cambridge University. They utilized a distributed denial of service (DDoS) approach, flooding the network server with fabricated web traffic to disrupt legitimate operations. Dr. Stuart Rankin, head of user services at Cambridge University, confirmed the severe disruption caused by the influx of bogus web traffic overwhelming the servers.
The extent of the impact on Manchester University remains uncertain. However, insiders have revealed that critical IT services such as Moodle and CamSIS were affected, suggesting that the attackers aimed to cause significant disruption.
Sources indicate that the Sudanese hacking group targeted British institutions due to the UK’s support for Israel and its involvement in conflicts in Gaza and Yemen. The timing of the attack coincided with a report from security awareness firm KnowBe4, which highlighted the vulnerability of London-based universities to state-sponsored cyber attacks. The report raised concerns that hackers, having obtained network login credentials, could exploit them to launch various cyber assaults.
t/f Summary: What’s Next
This criminal group has previously targeted Western businesses aligned with supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. These attacks highlight the growing threat of cyber attacks against educational institutions and the need for heightened cybersecurity measures to protect against such sophisticated threats.